


Slushies & Frappés

by trash_boi



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Telltale Series (Video Game)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Batjokes secret santa gift, Bruce Wayne Has PTSD, Bruce visits John in Arkham, Discussions of mental health and mental illness, Happy Ending, John has Borderline Personality Disorder with Psychosis, John is getting the help he needs, M/M, Post vigilante joker ending, Protective Bruce Wayne, Why am I feeling so protective of this man?, batjokessanta, i'm so sorry there is some angsty feelings, saps with feelings, there will be fluff I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28300080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash_boi/pseuds/trash_boi
Summary: Five times Bruce visited John in Arkham, and the one time he didn't
Relationships: John Doe/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21
Collections: A very Batjokes Christmas





	Slushies & Frappés

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for the 2020 Batjokes secret Santa! This is for @camburri on twitter :3   
> I hope you like it! 
> 
> Also, I only have the first chapter written, but the rest is planned out I just need to sit down and finish writing them.

It took Bruce a little over a week to convince the Arkham Asylum staff to allow him to visit John. The stipulations included that their meeting would be held while John was locked in his room and that they would only have ten monitored minutes to talk. John’s therapist, Dr. Joan Leland, was concerned that a longer visit might cause John too much stress. Especially since he just started to settle back into the rhythm of Arkham. 

The week leading up to Bruce visiting John was stressful for the bachelor. He missed Alfred dearly, but he understood that the older man needed to step away. He had already had his life threatened when he was in the hands of Lady Arkham, and Bruce liked knowing that Alfred was safe from all the dangers of Gotham. The last he heard from Alfred, he was in England and looking forward to a quiet life in the countryside. Bruce cherished the fact that Alfred reached out and left at least some form of communication open between the two of them. 

Bruce ate through the lasagna Alfred had left and was sad when the last few pieces were shared with Tiffany and Avesta. Both ladies played a large part in helping Bruce get his act back together. While he had responded to the bat-signal after Al left, it was only a fairly minor bank robber -- nothing compared to all the other happenings the past few months. 

* * *

Avesta was welcomed into Wayne Enterprises with open arms and was given a cushy desk job, but she pulled Bruce aside on her first day and told him that she was willing to help with his “side job” if her assistance was ever required.

“I know how hard things have been for you since the agency came to Gotham, and I still feel largely responsible for the mess you got into with Waller, but please know if you need _any_ help, I am just a call away.” 

“Thank you, Avesta. You have no idea how much that means to me...” Bruce gave Avesta a wilting smile. “Things have been… difficult since Al left. He was a huge part of what I do, and now that he’s gone, I feel... off balance. The Mansion is so quiet and I’m contemplating moving into one of my penthouses -- and I know how ridiculous that sounds.” He chuckled at the look of disbelief that crossed Avesta’s face at the implication that Bruce had multiple penthouses. “But I would love it if you came over some time for dinner -- not in a romantic sense or anything -- but to have dinner with me and Tiffany.”

Avesta smiled and ignored the flustered expression on Bruce’s face. “That would be lovely. It’d be nice to meet Tiffany properly, and maybe if you’re feeling generous, I could see some of your gadgets?”

“Believe me when I say there is no way you won’t leave without seeing _something_. Tiffany loves to show off her work. She’s going through my tech right now to figure out what needs to be upgraded, and if she has her way -- and she probably will -- everything is going to end up with some purple on it as well as being better than just about any tech on the market.”

“Impressive! I can’t wait. Just give me a call and let me know when you’re free. I know that your side job can be difficult to schedule around, so don’t feel bad that, if it comes down to it, you need to cut dinner short.”

“I appreciate that, Avesta. I hope you enjoy working at Wayne Enterprises. If anyone gives you any trouble, send them my way, ok?” Bruce gently elbowed Avesta’s shoulders in jest. “Seriously, though, thank you for all that you have done. I don’t want to even think about what would have happened if Waller--”

“Don’t sweat it, Bruce.” Avesta patted Bruce’s arm. “I did what I did partially to help alleviate my guilt, but also because it was the right thing to do. You’re a good man, and I’m happy to have helped.”

The two parted ways, and Bruce spoke with Tiffany about her thoughts on his gear. She expressed interest in redesigning and upgrading everything like Bruce expected she would. He could tell she was still a bit nervous about proposing ideas since her mishap about the gun she designed, but he trusted her and knew for a fact that she was just as bright as her father -- if not more so. 

Over the next couple of days, Bruce spent his time playfully arguing with Tiffany about how he didn’t want his bat-suit to be a “dark purple that was almost black,” and that his plain black suit was fine. He didn’t complain about the purple accents done to the LEDs in his cowl and the purple theme done to his AR display. It had actually always been an option to have the display a different color -- blue, red, yellow, or purple. Bruce had never felt the need to change the color from the default blue. He had to guess that Lucius had Tiffany in mind when he added the purple option.

Tiffany seemed to have thought that him allowing the bat-tech color to change was a huge win, and he could only watch in amusement as she peacocked around the Batcave. 

“This is going to be awesome!” she exclaimed. “When we’re out on the field together, we’ll look like a team! A great pair, a--”

“Dynamic duo?” Bruce suggested.

“Yes!” 

Tiffany hugged Bruce, and after wolfing down her “professionally made” microwave meal, she grabbed her backpack and tablet to head out. 

“You know, you’re either gonna have to learn how to cook or hire someone else to make your meals at some point, Bruce. While I love junk food as much as the next gal, with what you do… You need all the vitamins and nutrients you can get.”

“I know, Tif… I was actually thinking of asking Al if he had any beginner meal recipes I could follow. I don’t want to have the mansion burn down.”

“I’m glad the two of you can still talk. I know this has been hard for both of you. I got a postcard the other day. It was really pretty -- a field full of wildflowers. It almost looked like a painting.”

“That’s nice.” Bruce gave Tiffany a quick one-armed hug and watched her scurry out of the Batcave. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. 

3:20pm. Tiffany had left a bit early, but that was fine. It gave Bruce a chance to call Arkham and double-check that everything was in order. There was already a tentative plan in motion, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wouldn’t be able to see John again unless he did it _soon_. 

Thankfully, an Arkham staff member picked up the line and was kind enough to redirect him to Dr. Leland, who would monitor the meeting firsthand. They went over the rules one more time and solidified the time when Bruce was allowed to come over. Due to the circumstances, he would be coming in later than other visitors would typically be allowed -- 6 pm, after dinner, around the time patients would be receiving their medication before an hour in the rec room. 

Bruce thanked Dr. Leland for allowing him to see John.

“While I am concerned that this meeting might stress John, I do know that you’re mainly what he talks about in therapy. The man idolizes you, and I think that he would be relieved to see you, even if for a short while.”

“I can’t thank you enough. I’ve been worried sick about John and am just glad I’m able to check up on him.”

“Depending on how your first meeting goes, and if I have your consent, I may talk with John about putting you as his emergency contact and healthcare proxy. Obviously, you are not related, but I can tell that you care about John’s well-being -- especially since you both went through some traumatic experiences together.”

“I have no problem with that.”

“Good. I will make a note for later. I know this might be a lot but John doesn’t have any family, and with his amnesia, he doesn’t know much about his medical history either. Once I have consent from John to speak with you about medical issues, I can go into more detail if need be.”

“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Leland. I hope you have a nice day.”

“You too, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce heard the click of the phone call disconnecting. He sighed and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. Despite the fact that he was Batman and faced criminals on a daily basis, he felt nervous. _What if John didn’t want to see him? What if John changed his mind and decided that he hated him?_ While Bruce wouldn’t blame John, it would still hurt, because, despite it all, he did care for the other man. 

He decided it was time to go upstairs and sit down to write a letter to Alfred. He hoped his father-figure would respond. Bruce would make no mention of his crime-fighting or his upcoming visit to John. He decided it would be best if he kept to small talk and asked about the recipes. 

The letter had to be rewritten three times before Bruce was happy and ready to send it out. He went out to the post office, got the letter sent, and stopped at a corner store to grab something small to eat. While he wasn’t the biggest fan of fast food, he would admit that slushies kinda grew on him. It made him think of his first interaction with Harley, but mainly how excited John was for Bruce to meet his “friends.” If Bruce could, he would have given Harley a few extra hits for what she did to John. The poor man was manipulated by multiple people, and Bruce wished that he could take back the hurt he caused John. 

Bruce left the corner store with a blue raspberry slushie that caused his lips to pucker, deciding to just get the drink. The rolling hotdogs looked a week past expiration, and even with all the hell that has happened to Bruce and all the shit that has been on him, he refused to willingly put that in his mouth. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich sounded more appetizing and was expertly made by Bruce when he got home. He took his time with his daily workout routine. Time flew by, and before he knew it, he was getting ready for bed.

* * *

The morning was a daze as Bruce eyed the clock -- what felt like -- every five minutes. When it finally came time for him to leave for Arkham, Bruce decidedly ignored the tiny bit of nervous sweat that built up on his brow. 

He climbed into the disguised bat-mobile and drove to the asylum. He was forced to go through extensive security checks to make sure he wasn’t sneaking anything in that could harm a patient or a staff member. Once his phone, wallet, and Bluetooth were okayed by security, he was taken to Dr.Leland’s office. She and two guards would escort him to John’s room and wait off to the side while they spoke. Dr. Leland expressed how she wanted to stay out of sight so John could feel more at ease, but wasn’t afraid to step in if things got hairy.

“His room is right this way, Mr. Wayne.” Dr. Leland directed him to a middle room with a door flap where food and medication could be passed through. If the lack of name tags on the doors were any indication, it looked as though John was without neighbors on either side.

“Visitor for John Doe,” the first guard spoke up before he unlocked the flap.

It fell in towards the room, and John’s pale face peeked out the flap with wide earnest eyes.

“Bruce!” John exclaimed. He smiled, and Bruce felt frozen for a second. 

He adjusted his tie and tilted his head to get a better peek at John. John continued to stare before a soft chuckle slipped past his lips.

“Hello, John.” Bruce finally spoke, “I -- how are you?”

“As well as I can be. Hand still smarts.” He showed Bruce his bandaged right hand where a Batarang sliced through his palm and wiggled his fingers. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think I was allowed visitors, let alone you! I thought after everything that happened, you would want nothing to do with me.”

Bruce’s brows furrowed, “Why would I do that? I already told you, John. You’re my friend, and as for being allowed to visit… Well, let’s just say I had to pull a few strings. I’m only able to be here for ten minutes, but I couldn’t wait to visit you. I didn’t want you to think I hated or abandoned you.”

“I--” John began to choke up a bit. “I really appreciate that Bruce. I do.” He smiled, and Bruce wished that he could reach out and touch John; rest his hand on John’s and double-check the wrapping on his wound himself. 

“How has Arkham been treating you?”

“It has been… odd but comforting. I can still hear the humming of the lights that I missed while on the outside. It has helped me sleep at night -- that, and the fact that I was allowed to keep my picture of me and Batman.”

“What?” Bruce’s eyebrows shot up. He looked at the guards and Dr. Leland to see their reaction. “You took a picture with Batman? How’d you manage that?”

“I was able to track him down.” John winked. “It’s nice to wake up to. Maybe we could take another selfie together that I could have in here. After all, you are my best bud.”

“I’d really like that, John.” Bruce smiled. “I was actually wondering something.”

“What’s up?”

“Would you like me to visit you again? I was worried that you wouldn’t want to see me after how things ended up.”

“I would love for you to visit me. It would give me all the more reason to behave in therapy,” John joked. He chuckled and rested a hand on his cheek. 

Bruce shook his head with a smile on his face. “Don’t give Dr. Leland any trouble. She’s the main reason why I was able to come today. She seems like a very kind lady.”

“Yeah, Dr. Leland is my favorite therapist I've seen here. She’s real nice and didn’t think I was just crazy like some of the others. We’re gonna try talking about my symptoms soon and try to figure out what’s going on up here.” He tapped the side of his head with his bandaged hand. 

“I hope everything works out. Just know that it might take a while to figure stuff out.”

“I’m all too aware of that, buddy. Remember, I’ve been here for years before your brief stay last year.”

“I know, but now that you’re actively working on getting better, you might get more frustrated by the lack of progress. I know I was after my parents were killed. The therapist Alfred made me see said I had PTSD, and I didn’t want to believe it. I was just a kid -- that wasn’t something that kids got -- it was meant for veterans and soldiers.”

John looked like he wanted to reach through the gap in the door if his fidgeting hands were any indication but he refrained. 

“Speaking of Alfred, how is he?”

Bruce fought a flinch. He should have guessed that John would ask about Al. “He… he’s gone.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s in England right now. He said it was time for him to retire.”

“How could he do that to you?!” John snapped. He had been excited to meet Alfred, but Bruce could see the betrayal in John’s eyes. 

“It’s ok, John,” Bruce shushed. “I think it was time. While I miss him dearly, I’ve had help to get through it -- though I did forget to take the trash out last week.” 

John looked up at him with a small frown on his face. He looked as though he wanted to say something else but decided against it. 

Off to the side, Bruce heard one of the guards cough and gesture to his watch. Bruce looked at his own watch and saw that they only had two minutes left to talk. 

“Is there a time or day of the week that would work best for you?”

“Eh.” John shrugged, more subdued than he was at the beginning of the visit. It seemed like hearing Alfred left affected him more than Bruce thought possible. “You’ll have to ask Dr. Leland. She’s the one who’s mainly in charge of my schedule. I see her every other day for thirty minutes of therapy. I sometimes see other doctors, but other than food and recreation time, I don’t do too much.”

“Have you thought about a hobby?”

“What hobby could I have that wouldn’t be a possible risk to myself or others?”

“Crocheting? Reading? If it’s allowed, I wouldn’t mind getting you a couple books to read. Or maybe one of the staff members could teach you to knit or crochet.”

“I might just do that.” 

Bruce looked at the guards again and sighed. “I need to head out now, John.”

“It was nice seeing you, buddy.”

“I’ll be sure to contact Dr. Leland about setting up more consistent meetings that can maybe be held without a door between us.”

Bruce smiled at John and fiddled with his tie to keep his hands busy. It was too tempting to try to reach out and touch John now that he had to leave. If Bruce had it his way, he and John would be able to talk for an hour without interruption. There were so many things he wanted to catch up on, despite the fact that they last saw each other a little over a week ago. Ten minutes with an audience only allowed you to talk about certain topics that would otherwise not be Kosher. 

“Bye, Bruce. I’m glad you came to see me.”

“Me too, John. I hope you have a good night.” Bruce waved goodbye to John and followed Dr. Leland and the guards back to the front gates.

“Thank you once again for letting me see him.” Bruce shook Dr. Leland’s hand.

“I’m glad I did. I haven’t seen John perk up so fast since he’s been in. I think getting him another framed picture of the two of you might be nice for him to have, and I’ll speak with the other staff that works with John if any of them know how to knit or crochet. I think doing something with his hands might be good for him.”

“I’m happy to help.” Bruce chuckled. “Do you think we might be able to set weekly visits?”

“We should try biweekly at first, I think. I don’t want to overstress him, and I think going over proper visitor etiquette will be a priority -- not that I think John would do something, but he has never had a guest before you. I want him to know all the rules and what can get visitor privileges revoked.”

“That makes sense. Should I call in two weeks then to schedule an appointment?”

“I will make a note and contact you when I think John will be well enough to handle a proper visit -- not just a ten minute slot.”

“Of course, of course. Please feel free to call my cell phone and let me know what John says about the healthcare proxy suggestion.”

“You’ll be one of the first to know.”

“Thank you, Dr. Leland. I hope you have a good night.” Bruce waved and began to follow the guard who unlocked John’s door out to his car.

“Goodnight, Mr. Wayne.”

With one last look over his shoulder, Bruce raised a hand in goodbye. Just as he sat down in the driver’s seat, small droplets of rain started to trickle onto the windshield. With the sun gone, and the rain just begun, Bruce was in for a fun ride home to a chilled, empty house.


End file.
